Little Rockets In The Sky
by SevenRenny
Summary: During a date at an amusement park, Izuku and Ochaco take some time to reflect on the past, plan for the future, and live the present. a short IzuOcha


_Disclaimer:_ _I do not own My Hero Academia._

 _Note: Covers anime up to season two_

 _Note: Story idea by_ _Igniting Writing_

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 **Little Rockets In The Sky**

 **SevenRenny**

He checked his phone to make sure he hadn't missed a text from her. The park's entrance was too loud. If she had sent him something then he doubted he'd be able to hear his phone. Couples and families and packs of friends laughed and talked as they passed. Music from the rides and games mixed together.

"Deku!"

Ah, there she was. He saw her running to him from a distance and he waved to her so she wouldn't lose sight of him in the crowd. "Uraraka!" he called to her happily.

She bent over her knees, panting. "Phew… made it!" She smiled sheepishly at him. "Sorry I made you wait."

"No, no, it's fine," he said. "I just got here, too."

She grabbed his hand and led him in, dragging him along excitedly. He wasn't one for crowded places, but he figured he could endure the chatter and noise and body smells and eye-stabbing lights for a few hours, because Ochaco looked so eager to the idea of him joining her, and he just couldn't say no to that cute rounded face. Food carts were lined up at every corner, serving corn-dogs, cotton candy, ice cream, candy apples, tater twisters and other treats.

All the mechanical rides were decorated with flashing lights and accompanied with blasting music the riders most likely wouldn't be able to hear due to wind blowing into their faces. He learned that on the first go. He also learned that going on a pendulum ride that flipped them in the air several times, and then going on another that spun them clockwise then counterclockwise, was not a good idea. And while his girlfriend had some experience keeping her nausea down, him? Not so much. And after a Tower Drop, they decided to take a break, agreeing to go on calmer rides from now on.

He was at his limit, but he already promised himself he'd go all out. Because of long weeks of doing nothing but studying, they all needed a change. As soon as they had a few days off, everyone scattered to do whatever they wanted.

Now, even when his stomach turned, he was glad. Ochaco'd been laughing and smiling through it all. And just like that, the threat of having his brain turn into cocktail from a rotating ride was worth it in the end. And, he admitted, he liked the thrill as well.

They had managed to find a bench to rest for a while, slowly regaining lost energy. He threw his head back, resting his neck. Ochaco sighed next to him in both exhaustion and content. "I'm beat!"

"Yeah," he sighed in content, running his hand through his frizzy hair that had gone even wilder from being beaten by wind. While he was tired, he hadn't felt this happy in a while.

Ochaco reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, giggling. "It's fluffier now!"

He chuckled tiredly, letting her mess with his hair.

"Hey, Deku?"

"Hmm?"

He hadn't expected the little peck on the cheek. His cheeks turned slightly pink, still not used to receiving affection in public.

"Thanks, Deku."

Yup. It was so worth it.

It was getting dark. The lights all around them flashed and spun and highlighted everything in bright colors. After a short snack – enough to satisfy their needs but not so much to get them to throw up – a simple Ferris wheel ride was to end the day off.

All in all, it seemed to have gone well. They waited in line and a blonde employee ushered them in, leading them into a red pod and closing the door, giving the door a few tugs to make sure it was secure. The pods were space themed, completely rounded and decorated with tiny rockets attached to the sides. The middle of the Ferris wheel had a thousand flashing lights forming the sign _Galaxy_ which kept changing colors.

They were halfway up, but it was clear by the start-and-stop motion that the ride hadn't started yet. Other people were boarding and the wheel had to turn every so often to lower the other pods. At some point, they'd stopped at the top, and they took the opportunity to look at the city through the glass windows.

"It's so pretty!" Ochaco cheered, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah," he agreed. "It really is." And he would make sure to protect it in the future. Below were the lights and tiny people and many buildings, and above, the night sky and many blinking stars. Up here, it was a reminder of how big the world really was, and how small they were compared to it all. They were tiny people, him and her and everyone down there. They were only two of many that called this place home. As the ride started, and their small space pod swayed and moved along, they both sat down and – while still looking out the glass – their fingers intertwined. No matter how far away they were from earth, or how much closer they got to space, they wouldn't be alone.

"I really had fun today, Deku."

"Yeah, me too," he said, smiling gently, because while the scare meter had been slightly higher than the fun meter on his part, at the end of the day, he was laughing his heart out along with her.

"We should do this more often, if you want to," he suggested. "Whenever we get breaks like this. We could go have fun, go see places. I thought I'd be nice to just… you know…" he looked away for a second and she tilted her head because she wasn't about to miss seeing another blushing Izuku face. "…just for us to spend time together – if you want, I'm not forcing you to agree or anything, just, suggesting, you know? If you want–"

He stopped at her giggle. "You're so cute!" She turned back to look out the window. "But really… I haven't had that much fun in a while." Through her own reflection, beyond the rides and lights, she saw the waterline from afar. The lights danced and sparkled over the water. Izuku noticed where she was looking.

"Uraraka?"

"I wish my parents could see this," she said softly, twirling her fingers. "They're always busy, but they still took me to fun places when I was little." She smiled kindly at the memory.

Izuku gave her a sweet smile. "You really love them, huh?"

She nodded. "They had I tough life, but they did everything so I could be happy." As a child, she had been exited to develop a stronger version of her mother's Quirk. Her mother couldn't more than one object at a time, and she couldn't affect objects that were too heavy. Ochaco's stronger Zero-Gravity was mostly likely a mixture of both of her parents' Quirks. Her father's Quirk was considered one of the weaker versions of the many kinds of Strengthening Quirks, but it had been enough to boost her own Quirk.

"They gave me a good life, now it's my turn to help them," she said confidently, hands tightening into fists. "That's why I need to get stronger; so Mom and Dad don't need to work so hard."

He stared at her. He adored that determination, that will power to keep going. He placed a hand over one of her fists, causing her to look back at him. "And you'll do it!" He gave her a confident nod, squeezing her hand. "You're strong, Uraraka, I know you'll do it."

Flattered, her pink cheeks turned a darker shade. He knew just what to say to lift her spirits. She couldn't see herself with any other boy. He made her happy. She relaxed her fist and turned her hand to hold his, keeping her pinky lifted to avoid accidentally floating him.

She shifted in her seat. "Uhhh… It might take me time to get there. I still don't feel like I'm any closer to what I'm aiming for."

He shook his head no. "You're here, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

"Here," he said, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. She looked at their hands, thinking over what he meant. Here… Them. They were proof – proof of progress. She wasn't at home, depending on her parents, begging them to let her help them. She was here, with Deku, in the small class with him, sharing the same timeline with him, sharing the same school: UA. They were UA students, and they were on their way to becoming real Heroes.

"You're amazing, too, Deku!" She told him.

He chuckled and shyly rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhh I'm not that special."

"Yes, you are!" She insisted.

She wanted to know more about him. She knew his attitude, his generosity, his silly habits and his big heart. She knew a little bit of his history: he and Katsuki had attended the same schools and lived in the same neighborhood. His father wasn't around, but his mother was all he needed.

He hadn't had friends before UA, and she only figured out he had been bullied when Ochaco had visited Inko. It was disheartening to know this kind boy had been through so much. He was shy, but brave. He was timid, but strong. He was quiet, but he spoke the loudest words from his soul. He was small, but he had the biggest heart.

The colorful lights from the other rides shone through the pod's glass. Pink and green and yellow bounced off their skin.

"Deku, why do you want to be a hero?" she asked, tilting her head.

He blinked, not expecting that question, then smiled fondly, turning to look through the window. A group of friends pushed each other playfully. A Father carried his daughter on their shoulders. A girl tried to feed her friend ice-cream and laughed when she ended up pushing the cone into the other person's face, smudging ice-cream over his nose.

"I want to save people."

She wasn't surprised with his reason, but it still amazed her just how kind Deku really was. He was just too sweet for this world.

"I… Remember when I told you my quirk manifested late? Well… I was considered Quirkless back then. I had nothing… but… even back then, I wanted to be a hero who saves people, who makes everyone feel safe. A smiling, dependable, cool hero... That's what I wanted to be, but being Quirkless with that dream… it seemed impossible. Everyone told me I couldn't do it. And… and sometimes I believed them."

"But, Deku," she beamed at him, gripping his hand. "You're here now!"

He blinked, and then chuckled. She'd used his line.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I guess I am. That's why I'm going to give it everything I've got. For everyone."

He realized she was staring at him intensely, blushing and smiling. The lights from outside caused the right side of her to glow. She was beaming proudly at him, that smile puffing her cheeks up.

"I know you'll be a great Hero, Deku."

The words held more meaning. He felt it.

As their rocket-themed pod got higher, reaching for the sky, the lights from outside slowly weakened, and they were closer to the sky again. They hadn't released each other's hands yet. She leaned forward, then hesitated, her cheeks reddening. He got her message, and leaned in as well, almost getting up from his seat. The ride was still moving, so she grabbed hold of his arm and he cupped her cheek.

"Deku…"

The kiss was gentle. Warm, quiet, soft, perfect. It was simple and quick. They parted, breathing, pressing their foreheads against each other. He was almost standing, so she had to look up through half-lidded eyes. Her hand traveled up his arm, passed his shoulder, and brushed the back of his neck. They both felt the butterflies in their bellies. That gentle flutter whenever they touched like this.

They'd kissed before, and they'd taken a little too long to give such a wonderful act of passion a try. They'd been too shy; too scared the action might frighten the other. He respected her, and she respected him, and because of that, they were careful not to cross a boundary that the other wouldn't be comfortable with. They were too careful.

They had held their breath when they'd first kissed. It had been a simple peck on the lips, but she was left fanning at her heating face, and Izuku kept stammering and covering his eyes, mumbling, _"Wa- Was it o-okay? Did… Did I do something w-wrong? Are you o-okay?"_ and so on.

Now, it was much more thrilling. A simple kiss on the cheek didn't take much energy anymore, and they were braver now, exploring and touching and loving every second of it.

With her hand on his neck, she pulled him down for another one, and he leaned down. The ride slowed, and the change in speed caused Izuku to lean more and their faces smashed together. There was a soft "hmm!" from their still connected lips.

His red shoes squeaked under his sudden shift. Not wanting to crush her, his hands slammed Ochaco's seat, trapping her. The pod swayed lightly. It was possible the ride was stopping, and that the wheel was rotating slowly so that other passengers could get off.

Izuku yanked his head back, gasping. "I'm… I'm sorry I –"

"Are – Are you okay, Deku?"

"–don't know what happened – Are you alright, Ochaco?"

"I'm fine, wha…"

They both froze. He hovered above her, his hands at either side. It took them time to realize what he had called her.

" _Gah!_ I – I – I – I meant Uraraka!" He tried to fix it.

She started giggling. She wiped away a tear collecting in her eye. It had taken him this long to use her name? "Deku," she managed to catch her breath. "Deku, really, it's okay! You don't need to be so polite."

"O-oh… okay…" He slowly examined how they were positioned and was about to bolt upright, if Ochaco hadn't playfully grabbed his head and brought him down for a deeper kiss. He gave in, melting into her.

He slowly drew away, their breaths brushing each other's faces. As their pod was lowered, the lights from the other rides shinned through the pod window again.

She giggled lightly and playfully nudged his head with hers. He couldn't help but chuckle at her.

They wanted to be Heroes, but they were still children. They had a long way to go, but they'd get there. They would grow up and take responsibilities, but, right now, they were young. Their insecurities were in the past, and their goal was in the future, but they lived the moment. They lived now, and that was all that mattered.

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 _Note: I really hope this came out okay. I wanted to get it out on Sunday because of the holiday over where I live (don't like it, but family is giving me no choice but to participate) so I had to work fast. I really hope it doesn't look rushed. Forgive me if this didn't turn out right. I'll go through it again later to check things that need fixing._

 _Note: If you're wandering why I chose a space theme for the Ferris wheel... Well, Ochaco's Hero costume kinda looks like a space suit to me. She's a big fan of Thirteen, who also seems to wear a space suit. I also noticed how their Quirks are kind of space related as well. I know black Hole and Zero Gravity aren't the same, but you get what I mean... right?_


End file.
